I've had a browse through and seen a number of others on the forum who have various medical conditions. Some of these possibly the individuals may identify themselves as disabled, some not, but I'm just wondering how people manage to cope with serious illness, chronic illness and/or disability and their love of music.

I can't practice anything like as much as I used to, so a performance diploma is out of the window. I am even somewhat concerned about the Dip Teaching because I have to have 3 pieces to grade 6 performance standard, and while that doesn't present any technical challenges for me, it's an awful lot of "viola under the chin" time. I hope they will only ask me to play very short extracts because I get tired awfully quickly, but I don't want to give everything up.

I probably couldn't have chosen a more challenging set of instruments for physical demands of playing, I suppose possibly marching tuba or something! The viola sticks out one side with your hands balanced in mid-air, the flute sticks out the other. I still get to play my recorder, but I can't carry the bass any more, and when I want to go along to events they want me to bring several instruments and a music stand and a packed lunch and park up a side street, I can't do it.

Most of the courses I want to go on are in ancient listed buildings and beautiful churches, which sucks when you use a wheelchair because you can't get in any of them.

I can't manage a regular orchestra any more, but I'd love to do one-off events where you get to spend the day on some fab repertoire pieces. I'd love to be able to say I'll come along to a 2-hour rehearsal every Wednesday night, but quite honestly I don't know if I'm going to be up to the challenge of getting dressed every Wednesday! (Biggest reason I work in the voluntary sector!)

I'm just wondering how people have managed their musical journey with ill health and disability, any tips for staying in the game. And you can pick between giving me a reality check of whether I will ever be able to do anything with a lever harp playing from a wheelchair and if I'm going to be able to sweet-talk people into putting it in and out of my car for me any time I go to an event, or if I should make my peace with descant recorders and other instruments I can safely strap to the back of a wheelchair. Any places that do a decent wheelchair-accessible day/weekend school for orchestra, string orchestra or recorder? I can't put in that regular time commitment any more, but could probably take on occasional special events.

I read this in the newspaper yesterday. It is about an orchestra of disabled musicians, not necessarily playing traditional orchestral instruments but making music nonetheless!

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/ar...araorchestra.do

Have you thought about your local SRP meetings, RoseRodent?

I have indeed! So far so good this time around, I went along a few times before but was having trouble getting there, managing the venue, etc. That was when I was still able to walk but not very well and my difficulties were not at all visible for people to see. I didn't have the confidence to say please will you carry this for me, lift that for me, move a chair for me, and the constant up and down stairs was wearing so I stopped going. I tried again a few years later but the travelling was too hard. This year I have a car and the venue has a lift installed, I've made it 4 or 5 weeks in a row, that's pretty unheard of. I have to let go of the guilt of asking people to help me, especially if said helpful folks appear well into their seventies, that's always tricky! But with that confidence to say "Hey, if you'd like an extra in the bass section would you mind grabbing my bass out of the car" it's getting there. Playing days are a great option for me if I get lucky with travel time and venues, but perhaps I could give the national SRP a little nudge to say look, I'm an active member and I use a wheelchair, can you try to bear that in mind when you choose a venue for playing days, I know it's hard to find places but do at least be looking!

It's worth remembering that in the Teaching Dip, you'll only be asked to perform probably a few bars of each piece, maybe a just a line. There'll then be a period of discussion and probably a bit of demonstrating to show how you might teach a particular aspect. You certainly won't be asked to perform complete pieces or long extracts. This is not to test your performing, but to see that you can securely demonstrate to pupils.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

And to me.

My health deteriorated quite a lot two years ago. Before that I was practising (violin) for about 3 hours a day. Two years down the line and I can play for half an hour at a push, and need to rest and take painkillers afterwards.

However... I now sing a lot! No instrument to carry!

Over the last 2 years I have sung at events all over the UK while building up quite a lovely set of Very Good contacts.

One thing I have learned - and this may seem really obvious, but it's taken me a long time to understand it! - is that if you don't tell anyone what help you need, you won't get it. In my case, to look at me, I look pretty much ok. I find it hard to ask for help, like I think you do Rose, but I know that if the situation was reversed and someone asked me for help, I wouldn't think twice and I'd be glad to help them.

Indeed she does. Floss is someone who always listenswhen I need to have a jolly good moan. Both of us suffer from Fibromyalgia and know we can always moan to the other when we are having a bad day.

The 2012 annual festival is in Dorking/Effingham this year : no idea what the venue is like, but it's being organised by forumite Suepea, may be worth dropping her a PM.

Hmm I don't know where our orchestral workshop will be next year but this year it took place in a school for children with very significant special needs so was v wheelchair friendly. Actually, carrying big orchestral instruments requires ramps/special doors/dropped kerbs as a general rule anyway! NEVER be afraid to ask for help, most ppl will be delighted to oblige. My disabled friends aren't musical so can't give direct info but I am generally v aware of disability issues, and more and more venues are having to be wheelchair friendly. Viola and violin are however particularly stressful instruments on the body!

Perhaps I should start a new thread in the dip section, but I was interested to know how does the structure work with this? Do they have a conversation with you about something from the written submission which leads to a discussion about something in your grade 6 piece and they ask you to play it to underline the discussion, or do they choose a section without any reference to why they selected it, then you play it and they talk about it afterwards? Performing sections is something I need to practice specifically, I have that history of an audition which fell to pieces because I was asked to start in the middle, so I know I need to practice starting anywhere and everywhere and it still being a performance as opposed to a practice.

The grading for demonstration and teaching skills is all thrown in together, and I'm not sure what happens if they think your demonstration is borderline but your explanation is a high pass, for example, do they have to award you the lowest applicable mark or something in between?

Thanks for the heads-up on the playing day. A big challenge is that I want to know that things will be accessible whilst not being able to commit in good time to being able to come. If anyone has made special arrangements for me it would be embarassing then not to be there.

As you suggested, I've started a thread for you in the Dip section and answered there

When people know that you are in a wheelchair before you arrive they will help. I would expect the folk around here do do so without treating you as if you have had a lobotomy first. (one occasion when I needed to use shopmobility I felt like stating it was my back and legs that were the problem and not my intellect and ability to speak!)

Many public buildings have now been converted to make them wheel chair accessible.

Oh don't I know that one. You should try attempting to buy pretty underwear, the look of horror on their faces in a large department store when I tried to look at something feminine, they always want to steer you back to the granny panties. Slightly off topic there...

Have you thought about getting a lap harp i.e. a smaller version of a lever harp - you can get some really nice quality ones with proper levers that would be much easier to manage in a wheelchair than a full sized lever harp - some of them come with a bar that rests across your lap.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you?ll see what I mean.

I've heard conflicting views on that, that holding onto a lap harp can be harder because you have to hold a potentially jiggly thing still while you play, and a floor standing harp is more stable. Not sure what to think on that, but if I've any interest in doing exams it's got to be a 34 string harp, so a lap version isn't going to work. Obviously easier to carry around, but sounds like it might be more physically demanding to play.